British historian David Irving arrested in Austria on Holocaust denial
charges

By The Associated Press

Haaretz

Cheshvan 15, 5766

VIENNA, Austria -
Controversial British historian David Irving has been arrested on a
warrant accusing him of denying the Holocaust, the Austrian Interior
Ministry said Thursday.

Irving was arrested on Nov. 11 in the
southern province of Styria, said police Maj. Rudolf Golia, a spokesman
for the Austrian Interior Ministry. He was transferred to a prison in
Graz.

Irving was detained on a warrant issued in 1989 under
Austrian laws that make Holocaust denial a crime, Golia said. The charges
stemmed from speeches Irving delivered that year in Vienna and in the
southern town of Leoben.

Irving in the past has faced allegations
of spreading anti-Semitic and racist ideas. He is the author of nearly 30
books, including "Hitler's War," which challenges the extent of the
Holocaust.

He remained in custody Thursday, the Austria Press
Agency said. Calls to the Graz court to confirm the report went unanswered
late Thursday afternoon.

If formally charged, tried and convicted
on the charge, Irving could face up to 20 years in prison, said Otto
Schneider of the public prosecutor's office. But he said it was unclear
whether there were sufficient legal grounds to continue holding Irving on
such a charge so many years after the alleged offense was committed. A
decision was expected by the end of next week on how to proceed, Schneider
said.